ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 3/NOVEMBER 2012
Contact the Alumni Relations Office: Amanda Philander-Hietala, Alumni Relations Manager Tel: +27 21 959 2143 | Fax: 021 959 9791 | Email: alumni@uwc.ac.za | www.uwc.ac.za/alumni http://twitter.com/UWCAlumni | http://www.facebook.com/uwcalumni
Dentistry Faculty
Third-year dentistry student, Monde Sukwana, works on one of the simulators at Melomed Centre’s pre-training clinic in Mitchell’s Plain. The simulators are used to train students before they work on patients at the hospital’s clinic.
Dentistry Laboratory a virtual reality UWC’s Dentistry Faculty launched its new technical laboratory at the Melomed Centre in Mitchell’s Plain on 10 September. The state-of-the-art laboratory uses virtual patient-training technology, including a simulator with a set of acrylic teeth which is an exact replica of human teeth. In addition to the virtual training provided at Melomed Centre, UWC students also do in-service training at Groote Schuur Hospital, Red Cross Hospital, Gugulethu Clinic and Tygerberg Hospital. Third-year student, Kgomotso Setai, says, “I always had a fascination with teeth. The way people smiled when they left the dentist made me want to become one since I was nine years old. The part I like the most about dentistry is meeting people who come from all walks of life. There was one incident where a 35-year-old woman had not had teeth for five years. When we gave her her new dentures, she could not stop smiling. Having new teeth gave her enough confidence to apply for a job after years of unemployment.”
Professor Yusuf Osman, Dean of the Dentistry Faculty, believes the facility provides a very important and much-needed service. “These students are entrusted to deliver a service to 120 000 people a year. This dental facility is a basis for skills and service embedded in the Mitchell’s Plain community,” said Professor Osman. Professor Brian O’Connell, Vice Chancellor and Rector of UWC, said the laboratory was a perfect example of the digital revolution now taking place in Africa. “This facility has changed the Cape culture perception of dental care. In the past children were encouraged to have their teeth removed from a young age. Today dentists would rather ask children why they would want to remove their teeth with so many other options available,” said O’Connell. UWC’s Chancellor, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, also commended the faculty for embodying the university’s ideals. “As wonderful as technology is, it sometimes prevents people relating to each other. Through this laboratory you have combined technology and the human element in your search for knowledge – and when you create knowledge you create hope,” said the Archbishop.
DID YOU
KNOW ?
UWC dentistry students treat 120 000 patients for free annually during their community service training.
LEAD from where
YOU ARE
Editorial
Dealing with Leadership Challenges in Health Sciences
Leading from where they are The University of the Western Cape’s Dentistry Faculty embodies the values of UWC Alumni Association’s Lead From Where You Are campaign. At the Association’s second Lead From Where You Are initiative, held at Melomed Medical Centre on Saturday 26 September, Dentistry Faculty Dean Professor Yusuf Osman highlighted the ground-breaking developments within the faculty. The Mitchell’s Plain laboratory, opened on 10 September, boasts Africa’s most technologically advanced equipment. “This dental facility is a basis for skills and service embedded in the community. UWC Dentistry Faculty was one of the smallest
faculties in the country when we started 35 years ago, and today 45% of the country’s dentists are trained at UWC. We have grown so much and can’t be stopped. Now is the time to lead out loud,” said Professor Osman. Event facilitator Denzel Pedro Smit addressed the challenges that came with leadership in today’s society. “Today leaders have to be role-models in difficult times and our greatest challenge is to lead ourselves. Many times you will feel ‘why can’t someone else take the lead?’ Leadership is not all about the perks,” said Smit. He added that as a leader you needed to influence others in ways that inspired them to grow. Former Dean of Dentistry, Professor Jairam Reddy, who was one of the speakers at the event, said that he spent eleven difficult but meaningful years at the helm of the faculty.
Former Dean of Dentistry Professor Jairam Reddy(left), Dean Secretary Esmeraldah Voigt and Dean Yusuf Osman share a laugh at the Lead from Where You Are event held at Melomed Medical Centre in Mitchell’s Plain.
“We need to ask ourselves this: what does leadership mean to us and why are we focusing on it? One of the reasons is that we do not have many real leaders. There is a crisis in African leadership and we need real leaders on every level,” he said. Professor Reddy also stressed that the moral capacity of a leader was very important to how he or she led.
Upcoming
The March 2013 Graduation will take place from Monday, 11 March to Friday, 15 March; Monday, 18 March to Wednesday, 20 March and Friday, 22 March.
EVENTS
The UWC Convocation AGM will take place on Saturday, 8 June 2013.
Venues and times to be announced
Welcome to the third edition of ThreeSixt-e, the last issue for 2012. We've received gratifying feedback from alumni so far on the newsletter and hope to receive more. Your feedback and criticism can only improve this offering. In this issue the spotlight falls on the Dentistry Faculty. The development of our goal of excellence through education received a boost with the opening of a dental laboratory featuring cutting edge technology. Most people are unaware of the desperate shortage of qualified dental practitioners and dentists in South Africa. UWC is proud of the fact that almost half the dentists qualifying this year (nationally) will come from UWC. We also report on several alumni newly appointed in key leadership roles, all of whom attest to the impact a UWC education has made on their lives and careers. In keeping with our theme, the newsletter features several alumni who have established thriving dental surgeries, as well as alumni from other departments and faculties. As the article on the Muchai family shows, UWC positioning as Africa's leading university is beginning to be reflected in the number of students coming from other African countries. They can only enrich the intellectual and cultural life of the university and we look forward to welcoming more students and establishing alumni chapters in those countries in future. Lastly, congratulations to our star sportspersons and administrators on their impressive achievements in the last year. Happy reading!
The 2013 FNB Varsity Shield Rugby Competition will kick off at UWC on Monday, 28 January 2013.
Patricia Lawrence Pro Vice-Chancellor Department for Institutional Advancement
DID YOU
KNOW ?
45 000 of the 120 000 patients who receive free dental care are treated at the Melomed Centre in Mitchell's Plain.
Kenyan siblings get the best education
Lots to smile about For Drs Manqoba and Nonhlanhla Mhkize, studying dentistry at UWC led to love and marriage.
The Muchai family (from left): Samuel, his parents Anne and John, and his younger sister Marylynn
Having children studying in another country is a daunting prospect for any parent - but Kenyan architect John Muchai gladly took it on. His older son, Samuel, is in his third year of dentistry studies and his daughter, Marylynn, is completing her first year of B.A. Psychology, both at UWC. John - a Pennsylvania State University graduate - did not know much about UWC before the director of Damelin College recommended it. At the time, Samuel was completing his matric studies at Rosebank Progress College. “When Samuel and I visited the campus we were impressed with the setup and environment, which is very conducive for studying. The staff members we encountered were friendly and informative, and I admired the history of UWC's struggle against oppression and the institute's vision for the future,” says John. But being separated by thousands of kilometres is challenging for the Muchai
family. Despite enjoying his course and life at Tygerberg Campus, Samuel misses his friends and the familiarity of home life in Kenya. For John, seeing his beloved children twice a year is not only expensive but also emotionally stressful. “What we miss most is the normal family life of going to church and family functions together. Being so far from home I also worry about the kind of friends they are making,” says John. Despite the hardships, the tight-knit family remains focused on the end result of their sacrifice, getting the best education for Samuel and Marylynn. John's family of eight siblings all went to university, thanks to their determined father - who never attended school himself. John hopes that their university experience will help his children to develop into citizens who will contribute to building Kenyan society. “I hope they will look at life from a global perspective and also become independent, responsible, confident and resilient adults one day,” says John.
UWC Alumni Clothing Range To place your order call Campus Lifestyle on 021 959 9341/2 or email campuslifestyle@uwc.ac.za
Manqoba was a third-year student and Nonhlanhla was in her fourth year when they met on a bus on their way to doing their in-service training at Melomed Clinic. “The bus was very full and I had to move to the back where Manqoba was sitting. He gave his seat up for me, and from that day I noticed him around,” says Nonhlanhla. They became friends, and eight months after their bus encounter they started dating. “What drew me to him was that he was such a sensitive person. And because of our similar backgrounds we could identify with each other,” she adds. Nonhlanhla comes from a small vilage, Amanawe, in Kwazulu-Natal. Manqoba grew up in the small village of Ixopo in Kwazulu-Natal. “There were not a lot of dentists in our village, so I decided that is what I want to be,” says Manqoba. His sense of duty and responsibility increased with his father’s passing when he was six years old. “As the eldest son I became head of the household, and you have to make this transition in your mind to carry the responsibility,” says Manqoba. “We did not have a television and would watch shows through our neighbours’ windows – which my father did not approve of,” says Nonhlanhla. It was her father who encouraged her to get a good education –the reason he sent her to Umzinto Secondary, a school outside their village. Nonhlanhla and Manqoba found success and each other through studying at UWC. Today Nonhlanhla is the chief dentist in charge of the Mangaung Metro Clinics in Bloemfontein, while Manqoba is completing his postgraduate studies at UWC, specialising in Orthodontics. This down-to-earth couple have a son, Enkosi Yenzile (‘God has done’), a blessing that has sealed their union.
DID YOU
KNOW ?
UWC has had a dentistry training facility in Mitchell's Plain since 1992.
Graça Machel speaks on freedom at the Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture
Can-do Candice Adrenaline junkie Dr Candice Stellenberg has a simple formula for success: take (controlled) risks in work and play.
Former UWC Chancellor Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu shares a light moment with Graça Machel. Machel was the speaker at this year's Annual Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture.
At the second Annual Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture, held at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) on 2 October, Graça Machel urged South Africans to go back to basics in a bid to heal the nation. The theme of this year's lecture focused on Women, Democracy and Freedom. She compared South Africa to a beautiful house, with perfect architecture but with cracked walls. To rebuild society, as with the house, we should start from the foundation. Machel challenged South Africans to revisit their painful past to nurture a healed generation. Machel commended the efforts of the South African women who helped forge the democracy enjoyed by millions today. “Women fought hard to gain the right to vote, which many of the youth today take for granted. In 1956 and 1994, women changed the rules of the game and transcended race and class to claim their dignity.” But, as far as South Africa had come, there were still issues that needed to be addressed. “In 18 years of freedom this nation did not revisit the emotional damage
inflicted on men and women through apartheid. Parents in their 40s and 50s grew up in a disrupted family structure. Today they are trying to raise their children based on a family unit they themselves never knew,” said Machel.
She did her first year of BSc at Stellenbosch University, but decided to complete her studies at UWC. “When I was at Stellenbosch I was involved in the socialising aspect of campus life, but at UWC I was totally focused on my studies. You need to always know where you are going and what your purpose is,' said Candice. Since she first started treating dental patients at the Melomed Centre in Mitchells Plain in her third year, Candice's biggest reward has been easing the pain of people who could otherwise not afford dental care.
Violence against women was another issue Machel mentioned in her address. She said that the 16 days of activism campaign was treated as a mere event for people to report and a reminder to guard against violence against women instead society should be asking why there are thousands of cases of women and children being hurt and dehumanised.
She even takes the message of good dental care beyond the surgery with her extensive involvement at lifeskills camps for primary school pupils from Kuils River. She provides hampers, toys and dental advice for the learners at the camps. “I have always loved kids and working with younger patients adds a fun element to my job,” said Candice.
Machel also spoke about the economics of women in the workplace. “Despite 48% of South Africa's workforce being women, equal pay does not always apply to them. Unemployment and poverty still hit African women the hardest,” she said.
“When you have your own practice every day is a challenge. But I always had a strong personality, and for me there was never a question that I would be able to do this,” Candice said.
“Religious institutions, formal institutions and social groups need to help build a movement to heal our society. Research institutions like UWC, leaders in science, must lead the research into the character of our society for us to face a brighter future,” added Machel.
Candice has had her own dental practice in Kuils River since 2009. In her free time this driven dentist pushes the adrenaline envelope through bungee jumping, shark cage diving and skydiving.
DID YOU
KNOW ?
On 10 September the faculty launched an impressive virtual laboratory - a first of its kind in Africa where students get to work on realistic simulators for nine months.
Love and Peace are the Kings of UWC
UWC coaches going for Gold
Love and Peace were all smiles after beating Sports Scientists 1-0 to take the title as 2012 Kings of UWC.
It was a day of serious battle on Thursday, 23 August, between sixteen passionate teams of UWC alumni and students competing in the Kings of UWC Football tournament at UWC's Dell Field. But in the end, Love and Peace reigned supreme. Alumni team Love and Peace faced student team (and first-time participants) Sports Scientists in an action-packed final, beating them 1-0. The second-year sport science students did not give up the throne easily and Love and Peace's defence had to work hard to prevent them from finding the back of the net. The alumni team took home a R2 000 Puma voucher and the added satisfaction of dethroning the reigning champions, Mercurial Predators, who crushed their tournament hopes last year. Zaheer Petersen, Love and Peace's team captain, was psyched to take home the title. “Love and Peace were so close to winning last year, but we lost against Mercurial Predators in the final. This year we wanted to win,” Zaheer added after their win against Sports Scientists. The tournament is now in its fourth year and was co-sponsored by the Alumni Association (it was started by a group of UWC alumni in 2009, and an alumni team, The Originals, won the inaugural event). The tournament has proved so popular that two fields had to be used for the oneday event - and both fields were packed with excited students and alumni cheering on their favoured teams. “It is an especially nice vibe for the former students who get to relive their student days of playing soccer at UWC,” said Hilton Stroud, co-founder of the tournament. “The alumni players are so passionate about this event they always take a day off from work to make sure they are here to play. Because of the event's popularity we want to make Kings of UWC Football a weekend-long event instead of just one day,” said Stroud.
UWC swimming coaches Cedric Finch and Karoly von Törös were respectively part of this year's Olympic and Paralympic coaching teams for South Africa.
University of the Western Cape sports coaches participated in some of the biggest sporting competitions in the world this year. Swimming coaches Cedric Finch and Karoly von Törös were respectively part of this year's Olympic and Paralympic coaching teams, while soccer coach Jerry Laka was one of the assistant coaches of the Banyana Banyana team that represented South Africa at the 2012 Olympic Games. Team SA was hosted by Princess Charlene of Monaco in Monaco before the Games, where they got to meet celebrities like Tommy Hilfiger (who gave them each a Hilfiger Kit). For this year's Olympic Games in London, Finch trained open water swimmers Troyden Prinsloo and Jessica Roux. “There is nothing like being part of such a competition,” says Finch. “While we lived in the Olympic village I walked into the Williams sisters, and Usain Bolt was my neighbour.” Finch also saw first-hand the high level of commitment Olympics athletes had. Athletes trained constantly, even on their way to the dining hall. A month after the Olympic Games wrapped up, coach Von Törös was at the Paralympics with the rest of the national coaching team. Von Törös coached the South African squad that took part in the Olympics in Sydney in 2000 and in 2008
in Beijing. But being part of this year's Paralympics coaching team was a unique experience for him. “The South African athletes' performance was extraordinary. We won eleven medals for swimming alone - more than what some countries won for all their sport codes,” says Von Törös. Von Törös felt especially privileged to coach Natalie du Toit, who retired from competitive swimming after a spectacular performance at this year's Paralympic Games. Von Törös has coached du Toit since she lost her leg in a motocycle accident in 2001. “It was such an emotional experience. You get to work with athletes who don't have arms or legs and you realise that there are no limits to what the human body can do,” says Von Törös. Coach Laka's sixteen years of experience in development coaching stood him in good stead after he was invited by the Banyana Banyana coach, Joseph Mkhonza, to join this year's Olympic coaching team. For the qualified University Sports South Africa (USSA) coach it was an outstanding experience because it was the first time South Africa's women's team had qualified for the Olympics. “There is so much support for women's soccer internationally, and I saw it with the number of spectators at the Olympics. We need more professional leagues in our country to get women's soccer to that level,” says Laka.
DID YOU
KNOW ?
45% of the 200 students who graduate as dentists in South Africa annually come from UWC's Dentistry School.
University of Western Cape stars shine UWC's Sports Department celebrated a successful 2012 with the annual Sports Awards on 10 October, where six national athletes and 42 provincial athletes were honoured. Among the award recipients were USSA cricketers Mujahid Behardien and Jody Lawrence and Banyana Banyana player Vuyo Mkhabela. National women's rugby players Janine Felix and Nosipho Poswa were also honoured at the evening's event as was national karateka, Farzaanah Soeker. Addressing an audience that included UWC rugby director Peter De Villiers, Ilhaam Groenewald, Head of UWC's Sports Department, said the university had a lot to celebrate this year. “We co-hosted the International Rugby Board Junior World Championship in May and June, an event broadcasted to 307 million homes and 172 countries.” “UWC beach volleyball players Grant Goldschmidt and Chiya Freedom represented the country at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Our swimming coaches, Karoly von Törös and Cedric Finch, were part of the national coaching team that went to the Paralympic and Olympic Games. Our football coach, Jerry
Laka, was part of the Banyana Banyana coaching team who also went to London for the Olympic Games,” said Groenewald. UWC's FNB Rugby men's first team claimed the top spot in WPRU Premier League A, earning them a spot in WPRU Super League B for the first time in 10 years. The university's first, second and third netball teams cleaned up at the Western Province National Championships earlier this year, winning all three divisions. UWC Chess Club made all the right moves this year, entering the prestigious USSA Games as the reigning university champions, and ending as the best and the third best women's teams in the country. Michael James and Siviwe Mazingi respectively hold the top men and women's spots for national university chess players. The cricketer Mujahid Behardien was honoured as Sportsman of the Year while national women's rugby player Janine Felix won the Sportswoman of the Year Award. They received their awards from Peter de Villiers, UWC's Director of Rugby and Sports Development.
Peter De Villiers handing over the Sportswoman of the Year award to Janine Felix. Felix was also honoured for making the cut for the national women's rugby squad.
Announcement> UWC alumnus, Mr Michael Coetzee, has been appointed as Secretary to Parliament, Parliament's highest official administrative post. Before joining Parliament as Deputy Secretary in 2002, Mr Coetzee was Provincial Secretary of the Gauteng Legislature for four years, and earlier held positions as Human Resources Manager of Parliament and deputy Personnel Manager and Industrial Relations Manager at the University of the Western Cape.
Yemeni couple makes history Husband and wife, Dr Tawfeek Abdou Saeed Mohammed and Dr Balqis Saif Abdulelah Al-Sowaidi, are the first Yemeni citizens to study at UWC's Linguistics Department. The couple conducted research into aspects of Arabic-English translations of the Holy Qur'an. After graduating last year, they returned to the Republic of Yemen to lecture at the University of Taiz. Tawfeek was so inspired by his doctoral research at UWC that he set up a UWC regional office in Yemen. “UWC must be marketed so that Yemeni citizens can learn about this institute. My wife and I want to be ambassadors for UWC,” said Tawfeek. Tawfeek's research, entitled A taxonomy of problems in ArabicEnglish translation: a systemic functional grammar approach, concerned the complexities that Arabic-English translators encounter. “Structural and cultural differences, an overreliance on the dictionary and unfamiliarity with text typologies and genre conventions gave rise to lots of problems,” he says. Balqis's thesis focused on the 'equivalence' debate of translation practitioners. Her supervisor, Professor Felix Banda, commended her research. “Her thesis is a novel addition not only to modern exegeses of the Qur'an but also to religious translations more generally,” said Banda.
DID YOU
KNOW ?
Four of the first UWC graduates who graduated together 34 years ago still work at the Faculty of Dentistry in leadership positions: Dean Head, Professor Yusuf Osman, Deputy Dean Professor Ebrahim Parker, Head of Maxillo-Facial and Oral Surgery Department, Prof Gilmie Karriem and Dr Soraya YasinHarneker as lecturer/clinician in the Paediatric Department.
Fixing the world, one smile at a time
ON THE BOOKSHELVES
Time well spent In Time with Dennis Brutus, UWC alumnus, Dr Cornelius Thomas, gives an intimate view of his friendship with poet Dennis Brutus during the last five years of his life.
Dr Mohammad Ali Rawoot, is living his dream of creating smiles. In April, the 24-year-old UWC Dentistry alumnus, who qualified two years ago, opened his own practice in Lansdowne. Initially considered a rough diamond by his high school teachers, his potential came shining through in Grade 11 when he focused on scoring top marks. His older brother Hoosain, his uncle, Hoosain Brey, and his brother-in-law, Shabier Sonday all UWC dentistry alumni - helped motivate his decision to choose dentistry over pharmacy. Watching reality makeover shows on television, and seeing how the contestants' confidence soared after each procedure, inspired Rawoot to go into the field of dental makeovers. The contrast between university and school was a big shock, but hard work and discipline enabled Rawoot to cope. “I experienced so many sleepless nights and so much hair loss as a student but through balanced planning I coped with my hectic schedule,” says Rawoot. Rawoot never forgot his dream of creating as many mouth makeovers as possible. While doing his in-service training in rural Mpumalanga the young dentist had to perform basic dental care in the area. But Rawoot and his supervisor went beyond the basics, and facilitated free fillings and root canals for those patients who needed them. Rawoot credits this experience with developing his social awareness and helping to hone his dentistry skills. “Today I still experience stress at work - but, like when I was a student, creating better smiles makes it all worth it,” says Rawoot.
Brutus's political activism in the 1960s led to him being forced into exile, where he campaigned tirelessly to isolate South African sport until his return to South Africa in 1990. Dennis Brutus died on 26 December 2009 in Cape Town, aged 85. Thomas first met Brutus, whom he describes as “the shining knight of nonracial sports”, when he attended the Standard Bank National Arts Festival in Grahamstown in 2000. Using photographs to illustrate the narrative, Dr Thomas reconstructs the passionate freedom writer's ideology and vision in his final years. Brutus's own 'voice' is heard in some chapters when he speaks about his experience in Britain after his release from Robben Island. Other contributors, including documentarist Mark Fredericks and Cornelius's son Marcus, provide several images and personal accounts of Brutus. The poetry and politics that lace this book evoke Brutus's genuine compassion for humankind - a compassion that inspired his lifelong activism. Thomas's published works include Tangling the Lion's Tale (2007), Dust in My Coffee (2008) and Cocktails of Liberty (2009). His book, Finding Freedom in the Bush of Books (2010), is a students' history recounting the experiences of 24 contributors who were either students of or otherwise linked to UWC.
It's all about giving back “Education and training is a calling - I was called to do this, and I will do it again in my next life.” This is the passion that inspired UWC alumnus Dr Raymond Patel (BA Honours, 1983), who heads the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA), to pledge R1,5 million towards a science tutor development programme at UWC. Growing up in gang-plagued Reiger Park in Boksburg, Patel's parents sent him to high school in Benoni to get a better education. “My parents saw education as a liberator and a way of breaking the cycle of poverty,” says Patel. “I was very involved in student life at UWC, both at the hostel and at the Student Representative Council. It gave me the opportunity to improve my education and become sociopolitically aware,” says Patel. Prior to his appointment as merSETA head in 2006, Patel, a former schoolteacher, was CEO of the Chemical Industries Education & Training Authority and a Director at the North West Education Department. “Studying at UWC developed me, rewarding me with the life skills and thought processes I still use today,” says Patel.
DID YOU
KNOW ?
The Dental School at the University of Stellenbosch was incorporated into the UWC dental faculty in 2004, making it the biggest faculty in South Africa.
UWC Alumni speak at Top Achievers Event
Celebrity Corner
Nik Rabinowitz had the crowd in stitches at the UWC Creates Heritage Week from 25 September until 28 September. Silulami Libalele, information security officer at First National Bank, and Xolisa Vuza, senior solution architect at African Bank, were two of the Computer Science Department’s alumni who came to speak to students about the working world.
On 25 and 26 October top achievers from UWC's Computer Science Department and the Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) Faculty were awarded certificates, and alumni addressed students about life in the working world. At the Computer Science event Zakaria Mohamed-Fakier addressed a packed room of aspiring software developers. He completed his honours in Computer Science in 2000 and owns his own software company. He told students that in the workplace success was not only about coding but about finding robust and optimal solutions in alternative places. “You can be the person working at Google or Microsoft three years from now. You just need to put in the extra effort and do your best,” said Mohamed-Fakier. Alumni Silulami Libalele, information security officer at First National Bank, and Xolisa Vuza, senior solutions architect at African Bank, spoke about their post-university experiences. Before Libalele came to study at UWC his only exposure to computers was moving them around at his part-time job. After completing his honours, Libalele got a job at Standard Bank. “Competition is tough out there. I needed to convince my employees that I was the man for the job - and thanks to my honours degree, I was,” said Libalele. Vuza initially wanted to become a doctor, but became interested in computer science while studying BSc. “I battled in the first year of computer science and realised that to succeed I needed to
be focused and disciplined.” It was this discipline and drive that enabled him to complete his masters cum laude in 2005. The next day the EMS Faculty hosted a discussion led by a panel of EMS alumni and speaker, Eric D'Oliveira (BComm Accounts honours) , managing director of advertising agency 140 BBDO, spoke about the ethics of progressive networking in the work context. He emphasized that although the world had more data and technology available than ever, new ideas and solutions were always in demand. “I always wanted to learn new things and that is why I read everything I get my hands on. UWC taught me how to liberate your mind. You must never stop learning,” said D'Oliveira.
Karen Zoid kept the crowd entertained at the UWC Creates Heritage Week from 25 September until 28 September.
JOIN THE UWC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION! Get your free UWC Alumni T-shirt and much more for only R150 per annum (or R50 for the first two years after graduation)! To join, download and complete the Alumni Membership form at www.uwc.ac.za/alumni Contact us at email: alumni@uwc.ac.za or tel: 021 959 2143 if you have any questions.
STAY CONNECTED!
Eric D’Oliviera, managing director of ad agency 140 BBDO, was the speaker at the EMS discussion on The Ethics of Progressive Networking.
Your alma mater wants to keep you updated with the latest UWC news, events and information. Update your contact details at www.uwc.ac.za/ alumni or send an email with your details to alumni@uwc.ac.za. Contact us at email: alumni@uwc.ac.za or call us at tel: 021 959 2143.